Gov Otti Approves N1m Grant ‘Immediate Relief’ for Returnee Victims of South Africa Xenophobic Attacks

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has approved immediate palliative grant of N1, 000, 000 (one million naira) to 31 verified indigenes of the state that returned from South Africa as a result of the xenophobic attacks that has rocked the country in the last two years.

In a statement issued on Saturday by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Njoku Ukoha Njoku, the grant “is for immediate relief as an interim support measure, and to reassure the returnees that the Abia State Government has not abandoned them in their moment of need.”

The government clarified that  “a comprehensive profiling of each returnee is currently ongoing to assess their individual circumstances and socio-economic realities. This is to enable government design appropriate interventions for sustainable reintegration and social protection coverage tailored to their specific needs.”

Ukoha noted that the gesture underscores Governor Otti’s compassion and unwavering commitment to the welfare of vulnerable persons in communities across Abia State and beyond. It also reflects the Government’s resolve to ensure that every Abian, regardless of circumstance, is given an opportunity to recover, rebuild, and contribute meaningfully to society.

Xenophobic violent attacks have swept through South Africa in the last two years with security-backed armed thugs brazenly chasing away black Africans from their homes and businesses, while many including four Nigerians were openly hacked down on the streets in the full glare of police operatives.

The leaders of the xenophobic attacks issued a June 2026 deadline for all black Africans who are native of South Africa to leave the country of face certain death. Governments across Africa including Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe and others evacuated their citizens from the country.